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Topic: Hiring
Podcast: Rapid Response

The mirage of workplace meritocracy

Girls Who Code’s Reshma Saujani, Hello Monday’s Jessi Hempel, Lean In’s Rachel Thomas & Meta’s Maxine Williams

Gender equity takes a complex turn in 2024: while some claim men face unfair scrutiny, data highlights ongoing disparities for women. At the Masters of Scale Summit, Jessi Hempel moderates a compelling panel featuring Rachel Thomas, Maxine Williams, and Reshma Saujani.

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Podcast: Rapid Response

Embrace tension

IBM’s Ginni Rometty
Hard challenges demand that we embrace tension. Former CEO of IBM Ginni Rometty argues that, right now, business has a responsibility to deploy what her new book calls Good Power — from putting skills first in hiring, as a way to close systemic opportunity gaps, to thoughtfully erecting guardrails around new technology. As an early pioneer in the AI space with IBM’s Watson, Ginni acknowledges the risk that disruptive technology can have on society. She offers her insider perspective on balancing what she calls “the teeter-totter” of marketplace demands with positive long-term impact.
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Podcast: Rapid Response

Finding windows of opportunity

Delta’s Ed Bastian
With deserted airports, vaccine and mask mandates, and pandemic-prompted staff departures behind it, Delta Air Lines is once again soaring, recently sharing $563 million in profits with its employees. CEO Ed Bastian, in his third appearance on Rapid Response, talks about capitalizing on the big decisions made amid Covid darkness — from airport renovations to investing in free Wifi — and the opportunities and challenges of adding 25,000 new employees over the past year. Sharing insights on managing tumultuous shifts, as well as his evolving perspective on topics from wellness to business travel, Ed reveals the secrets to first class leadership, including the importance of a good night’s sleep.
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Podcast: Episode 8: Masters of Scale

Why culture matters

Netflix’s Reed Hastings
A strong company culture emerges when every employee feels they own the culture — and this starts before the first job interview. Netflix's outgoing CEO Reed Hastings built a high-performing culture at Netflix by being upfront about who Netflix is, in the company’s famous culture deck. It won’t appeal to everyone — and that’s the point. If you can define your culture, while resonating with a diverse group of employees, you have a winning formula.
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Podcast: Bonus

Five surprising ways to rethink your hiring

Learn the 5 mindsets that will reshape the way you hire, train, and retain — to build the team of superheroes that will power your business to scale. Hear real-world advice and great stories from Reid, Bob, and legendary leaders like PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi, GoFundMe’s Tim Cadogan, Burberry and Apple’s Angela Ahrendts, and Vanderbilt basketball coach Jerry Stackhouse.
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Podcast: Rapid Response

How flexibility creates momentum

Crate & Barrel’s Janet Hayes
Crate & Barrel CEO Janet Hayes started her role in August 2020, when stores were closed and the future of retail was uncertain. Her move? Lean into digital and sustainability for her brands, and flexibility and trust for her employees.
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Podcast: Episode 92: Masters of Scale

How setbacks create momentum

Compass’ Robert Reffkin
As dangerous as obstacles and setbacks may appear, they can also present opportunities. Robert Reffkin, founder and CEO of the real estate platform, Compass, knows this well. The trick, he says, isn't to avoid obstacles at all cost, but rather, to identify them quickly as resources you can harness. “You can't do great things in the world if you don't have that entrepreneurial, ‘I can do it’ energy,” Reffkin says. “And how do you get that energy? You dream a big dream.”
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Podcast: Rapid Response

Upskilling and the war for talent

Guild Education’s Rachel Carlson
How do you win the war for talent? Send your frontline workers to online school. That's the pitch Rachel Carlson has made to businesses from Chipotle to Disney, Walmart to Waste Management. As co-founder and CEO of Guild Education, Carlson helps workers get online degrees and certifications as a free employee benefit. To meet the ongoing need for upskilling, Carlson says, company-sponsored classes should be as ubiquitous as company-sponsored health plans — because the ROI is astonishingly high.
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Podcast: Episode 72: Masters of Scale

Building bridges to scale

Kind Snacks’ Daniel Lubetzky
Scaling isn't only about scaling UP – it's about scaling OUT: to new products, new verticals, new customers. And to do this, you'll need to build bridges. No one knows this better than Daniel Lubetzky, the founder and executive chair of snack food company KIND. Daniel has spent his whole life working to bring together disparate supply chains, products, and communities. Through it, he's learned the right – and the wrong – way to connect. That means building bridges that people actually want, letting people meet him halfway, and focusing on the foundations so those bridges last forever. Cameo appearance: Bianca Wylie (Public tech advocate).
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Podcast: Rapid Response

A virtual-first workplace

Dropbox’s Drew Houston
Drew Houston knows if Dropbox is going to design for the future of work, then its own workforce needs to live in that future, right now. He discusses Dropbox's move toward the virtual-first workplace — and how its benefits extend far beyond pandemic times.
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